Industry News

by Contributing Editor On Nov 19, 2008

Briefings ...

aaae — American Association of Airport Executives is awarded a five-year contract to provide on-site classroom and customized video training to airport employees at The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. The courses will be available to employees at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty. Agreement calls for AAAE to provide training in five categories: wildlife, aeronautical operation-technical, airport operations-regulatory, driver training, and airport security. The driver training instruction will be delivered via customized video developed by AAAE’s Airport News and Training Network (ANTN) division.

airtran airways — begins daily service between Atlanta and Columbus, OH, and between Akron-Canton Airport and Ft. Myers, FL.

allegiant air — announces nonstop service between Oakland Int’l Airport and Bellingham (WA) Int’l Airport (BLI), beginning February 2, 2009. It is the first-ever non-stop service between OAK and BLI.
american eagle — begins daily non-stop service from Bloomington-Normal (IL) Central Illinois Regional Airport to Dallas-Ft.Worth Int’l.

at&t inc. — agrees, through one of its subsidiaries, to acquire privately held Wayport, Inc., a provider of managed Wi-Fi services in the United States, for approximately $275 million in cash. The deal combines Wayport’s capabilities with AT&T’s Internet Protocol and 3G networks.

avidyne corp. — a provider of integrated flight deck and safety systems for general aviation aircraft, launches its new FlexCare™ Extended Warranty Service Plan, designed to offer owners of Avidyne products a higher level of support over the life of their aircraft at significant cost savings. The FlexCare Extended Warranty Service Plan coverage period begins when the Avidyne product’s original 2-year new-product warranty expires. Headquartered in Lincoln, MA, the company has facilities in Columbus, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Boulder, CO.

bennett aviation consulting — is formed by David Bennett, who retired from the FAA as Director of Airport Safety and Standards in January. New company is a consulting firm offering services relating to federal airport compliance policy and regulation. Bennett, a member of the Maryland bar, served as Director of Airport Safety and Standards from 1995-2008 and Assistant Chief Counsel for Airports and Environmental law from 1992-95. BAC has done work for commercial and general aviation airport operators, airlines, industry associations, and a consortium interested in the City of Chicago’s lease of Midway Airport; www.dlbaviation.com.

bOEing — projects that world air cargo growth will expand at a 5.8 percent annual rate over the next two decades, with worldwide air freight traffic tripling through 2027, according to Boeing’s World Air Cargo Forecast 2008/2009. Boeing predicts the world freighter fleet will increase to 3,890 airplanes from 1,950 during the 20-year period. Large freighters such as the Boeing 747 and 777 ultimately will represent 35 percent of the fleet, compared to 26 percent today, while providing 74 percent of total capacity. This segment will require 640 new factory-built airplanes; http://www.boeing.com/commercial/cargo.

ch2m hill — and Interstate Highway Construction team up to complete design and construction of the 300-ft. wide, 15,000-ft. long main runway at Edwards Air Force Base in California, three months ahead of schedule. New runway is capable of handling 800,000-lb. aircraft with aircraft tire pressures of more than 400 psi. Home to the Air Force Flight Test Center, the runway is used to flight test all military and combat aircraft and serves as an alternate landing site for the Space Shuttle.

city of chicago — advertises a bid package for Runway 10C-28C East and associated taxiways for the O’Hare Modernization Program; estimated bid range for this package is $150 to $200 million.

continental airlines — files an application with the Department of Transportation to operate daily, year-round service between Rio de Janiero and its Houston hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport. Service would begin in June 2009 and feature the Boeing 767-200 aircraft.

crownair companies — an aviation maintenance and avionics firm based in San Diego and with operations in the Southwest United States, displays its first upgraded Crownair “Centurion Edition” T210 during the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association show in San Jose; www.crownairaviation.com.

delta air lines and northwest airlines — officially merge, following an announcement that the Justice Department antitrust division had approved the merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines into the world’s largest air carrier under the Delta brand. Federal officials said the merger “is likely to produce substantial and credible efficiencies that will benefit U.S. consumers and is not likely to substantially lessen competition.” Delta CEO Richard Anderson says no change was expected in either airline’s hub structure, including Memphis.

flight safety foundation — anounces its support for statutory protection against the release or use of information gathered by voluntary self-disclosure reporting programs in the wake of recent judicial decisions forcing disclosure of voluntarily supplied aviation safety information, and the use of aviation accident investigation reports in civil litigation and criminal prosecutions. FSF endorses the creation of a “qualified exception” from discovery of voluntary self-disclosure reporting programs, similar to the protection already provided in U.S. law against use of cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and surface vehicle recordings and transcripts. Examples of such voluntary self-disclosure reporting programs include the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP), the Flight Operational Quality Assurance program (FOQA), and the Aviation Safety Information Analysis and Sharing (ASIAS) system.

gama — General Aviation Manu-facturers Assn. elects Mark Van Tine of Jeppesen as chairman of its board of directors for 2009.

general dynamics — headquartered in Falls Church, VA, completes its acquisition of Zurich, Switzerland-based Jet Aviation for approximately $2.18 billion from Dreamliner Lux S.a.r.l., a company controlled by the Permira Funds. Jet Aviation has some 25 airport facilities throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and North and South America. Jet Aviation becomes a new business unit within the General Dynamics Aerospace group, operating under the Jet Aviation and Midcoast Aviation brands. Current management will remain in place.

haith & company — of Overland Park, KS is expanding its KCI Intermodal Facility at Kansas City Int’l Airport to provide additional cross-dock warehouse space for its tenant, Greenville, TN-based Forward Air Solutions, Inc. The expansion will increase the facility’s size from 50,000 to 80,000 square feet.

hawker beechcraft acquisition company, llc — based in Wichita reports lower sales and operating income during the three months ending Sept. 28, 2008, as compared to the same period in 2007, primarily due to a four-week strike in August by the International Association of Machinists (IAM). Net sales for the three months were $783.3 million, a decrease of $87.7 million compared to 2007.

l-3 security & detection systems — of Woburn, MA reports that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has recently accepted delivery of 30 ProVision™ Checkpoint Security Systems. The order is part of an existing contract with an overall contract value of $24 million. After an initial evaluation of the ProVision in 2007, TSA tested systems at Los Angeles Int’l Airport, John F. Kennedy Int’l Airport, and Phoenix Sky Harbor Int’l Airport, which together serve an estimated 140 million passengers annually.

landmark aviation — based in Houston acquires the assets of First Class Air, Inc. at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, IL. Landmark Aviation has 42 FBOs in its network, including locations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The FBO chain is a portfolio company of GTCR Golder Rauner and Platform Partners, LLC.

light sport america — of Punta Gorda, FL is offering a $10,000 rebate or make the first year’s payment, up to $10,000, on any Storm Rally ordered by Dec. 31, 2008. The Rally Classic is priced at $124,995, the Rally Flyer at $128,995, and the Rally Glass at $134,995. Light Sport Aircraft is the exclusive distributor of the Storm Aircraft line of light sport aircraft in North America; product line is manufactured in the U.S. by Air Elite Aviation, Inc. of Three Rivers, MI.

nbaa — National Business Aviation Assn. president and CEO Ed Bolen announces that the association has joined forces with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, asking TSA for an extension to the comment period on TSA’s plan regarding proposed general aviation security requirements.

o’hare int’l airport — adds retail outlets Nuts on Clark, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and Garrett Popcorn Shops. Nuts on Clark is a Chicago-based family business with locations in Terminals 1 and 2.

rapiscan systems, inc. — a global supplier of security inspection systems based in Torrance, CA, is awarded an approximate $6 million contract by the Transportation Security Administration for its Rapiscan RTT (Real Time Tomography) high-speed stationary gantry Computed Tomography (CT) baggage screening system. The Rapiscan RTT is a baggage screening system that generates high-resolution 3-D X-ray images of passenger baggage to detect potential threats more accurately and at a higher speed than any currently available technology.

retail concepts design (rcd) — the company behind the design of Dubai Duty Free’s new Terminal 3 (T3) retail area in the United Arab Emirates, is actively seeking to develop further travel retail projects globally. RCD focuses on concession planning, retail design, and project management; www.rcd.ae.

robert e. david & associates — is formed by Robert E.David, a 36-year veteran of FAA who was division manager of the agency’s safety division, runway management office, when he retired. New company specializes in airport safety, runway incursion prevention, construction safety, safety management systems, and accident investigations; www.robertedavid.com.

servicetec airport services int’l — of Reston, VA is selected by the Port of Oakland to support Oakland Int’l Airport’s Common Use Terminal Equipment and related infrastructure services.

southwest airlines — brings back non-stop service between Kansas City and Ft. Lauderdale, and increases non-stop service between Kansas City and Denver from four to six daily departures.

tucson airport authority — celebrates the completion of its $30 million concourse renovation at Tucson Int’l Airport, including new and expanded concessions, reconfigured security checkpoints, and a relocated international arrivals area. Begun in 2000, the first stage of the Terminal Expansion Project dealt with relocating the rental cars into a separate 18,000-sq. ft. rental car building and adjacent three-level, 2,200 car parking garage within walking distance of the terminal via a moving sidewalk. The next phase was the addition of 82,000 square feet to ticketing and baggage claim with tilt plate conveyor baggage belts, along with expanded ticketing.

us airways — reintroduces service between Paris, France and Charlotte/Douglas Int’l Airport; service had been dropped after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

U.S. district court for the middle district of florida — Jacksonville Division, issues a final order denying an attempt to halt construction of the new international airport at WestBay in Bay County, Florida, being built on 4,000 acres provided by The St. Joe Company. The Panama City – Bay County International Airport and Industrial District (Airport Authority) has set May 2010 for the airport’s grand opening

virgin charter — a full-service online booking service based in Santa Monica, CA, is now the first preferred private jet charter provider and marketing partner for Signature Travel Network, one of America’s oldest luxury retail travel cooperatives.

NATA Offers New ‘Educational Week’

The National Air Transportation Association will host its first-ever “Educational Week” in conjunction with the 12th annual Aviation Industry Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center March 10-12, 2009.

NATA will offer a series of workshops and seminars designed specifically to improve the performance and profitability of fixed base operators, ground support, and maintenance businesses. A variety of topics will feature nationally and industry recognized presenters providing the latest intelligence, tactics, and strategies to maximize business success in this unstable economic market, according to the association.

Aviation Industry Expo (AIE) is managed by Cygnus Expositions, the tradeshow division of business-to-business media company Cygnus Business Media, publisher of AIRPORT BUSINESS magazine. For details, visit www.nata.aero or www.aviationindustryexpo.com.

Maguire Aviation Expands at Van Nuys

Maguire Aviation announces that Studio Pali Fekete arthitects have recently master planned and completed Phase 1 design work on the first of several new aviation facilities at the Van Nuys Regional Airport north of Los Angeles. Phase II and III of the Maguire Aviation project will include six additional hangar buildings with over 40,000 square feet of office space, and a central fixed base operations building. Design for the FBO includes spruce siding, rather than metallic skin, reflecting back to historic aircraft days.